Elementary Students' Affective Variables in a Networked

Volume 39(3) Summer/été 2013 Elementary students’ affective variables in a networked learning environment supported by a blog: A case study Variables affectives des élèves du primaire dans un contexte d'apprentissage en réseau soutenu par un blogue: une étude de cas Stéphane Allaire, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi Pascale Thériault, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi Vincent Gagnon, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi Evelyne Lalancette, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi Abstract This study documents to what extent writing on a blog in a networked learning environment could influence the affective variables of elementary-school students’ writing. The framework is grounded more specifically in theory of self-determination (Deci & Ryan, 1985), relationship to writing (Chartrand & Prince, 2009) and the transactional theory of Rosenblatt (1991). The research team used both pre and post-tests to measure affective variables and the analysis was conducted on the basis of inferential and correlational statistics using SPSS 17®. Qualitative analysis is also used to identify writing intents and topics of blog posts. Results indicate an increase in motivation to write in pupils who used the blog, whereas the number of comments made per post did not seem to have any definitive impact on this subject. Keywords: motivation, ICT, relationship to writing, affective variables, networked learning environment Résumé Cette étude documente dans quelle mesure l'écriture de blogues dans un contexte d'apprentissage en réseau peut influencer les variables affectives de l'écriture chez les élèves du primaire. Le cadre d’analyse est fondé plus spécifiquement sur la théorie de l'autodétermination (Deci & Ryan, 1985), sur le rapport à l'écriture (Chartrand et Prince, 2009) et sur la théorie transactionnelle de Rosenblatt (1991). L’équipe de recherche a conduit des tests avant et après l’exercice d’écriture afin de mesurer les variables affectives. L’analyse est basée sur des statistiques déductives et corrélationnelles, traitées avec SPSS 17®. L’analyse qualitative est également utilisée pour identifier les intentions d’écriture et les thèmes des messages affichés sur CJLT/RCAT Vol.39(3) le blogue. Les résultats indiquent une augmentation de la motivation d'écrire chez les élèves ayant utilisé le blogue, tandis que le nombre de commentaires formulés par message ne semble pas avoir eu d’effet décisif. Mots-clés: motivation, TIC, rapport à l'écriture, variables affectives, contexte d'apprentissage en réseau Introduction The learning sciences (Khine & Saleh, 2010; Sawyer, 2005) state the importance of affective, cognitive, and social dimensions in a learning environment that is learner-, knowledge-, assessment-, and community-centered (Bransford, Brown & Cocking, 1999). Learner-centered environments pay careful attention to the knowledge, skills, attitudes, affects, and beliefs that learners bring to the educational setting. Knowledge-centered environments help students become knowledgeable by learning in ways that lead to understanding and subsequent transfer. Moreover, assessment-centered environments provide opportunities for feedback and revision and what is assessed must be congruent with one’s learning goals. Furthermore, community- centered environments seek to enhance social norms and interactions that value the search for common understanding and allow students the freedom to make mistakes in order to learn. In such an environment, especially at the elementary level, learning to write is crucial not only for language acquisition, but also for academic success and development across life span (Cutley & Graham, 2008; Smets, 2010). For young writers, producing a text is a complex task that requires, on the part of the teacher, consideration for factors that contribute to the development and maintenance of motivation (Bruning & Horn, 2000). Notable among these are the importance of proposed task authenticity and taking into account the reader or addressee. Social media such as blogs are increasingly considered as being promising for their pedagogical potential (Downes, 2006; Pascopella & Richardson, 2009; Ward, 2004), particularly in regard to the potential access to a community that might offer authentic communication context as well as a real addressee, which are important aspects of the writing process (Allington & Cunningham, 1998; Atwell, 1998; Graves, 2003). Furthermore, using tools such as these in an academic context seems to be a possible means for motivating students to write (Clark & Dugdale, 2009; De Craene, 2005; Luckin et al., 2009; MacBride & Luehmann, 2008; West, 2008). However, a recent literature review has shown that few studies have systematically documented how networked learning environment (Laferrière, 1999) supported by Web 2.0 tools such as blogs can have an impact on the development of the writing processes over a full academic year at the elementary-school level (Allaire, Thériault & Lalancette, 2010, 2011). Indeed, most studies conducted that we have taken inventory of gave an account of research carried out in the context of higher or continuing education. Moreover, many of these studies were completed over a short period of time, i.e. a few weeks, which may be a sign of a certain novelty factor coming into play. Finally, the results that we have seen pertaining to students’ motivation essentially originate solely from the teacher’s perception. By networked learning environment, we refer to classrooms that use computers linked to the Internet for asynchronous communication purpose. Elementary students’ affeCtive variables 2 CJLT/RCAT Vol.39(3) Such communication can keep written traces of interactions that pupils have between them, but also with people outside of their classroom. The networked computer is this a means to expand its boundaries. As Laferrière (1999) points out, “Si des idées et des expériences portées sur le réseau (intranet ou Internet) peuvent être comparées, des réactions et des réflexions peuvent alors être échangées, du soutien et de l’aide apportés” (If ideas and experiences brought to the network (intranet or Internet) can be compared, reactions and reflections can then be shared, and support provided) (p. 576). Goals of the study Our general research goal addressed the learner-centered characteristic of the learning environment (especially the affective variables of pupils’ writing), the knowledge-centered characteristic, understood here as being content written on the blog by pupils, and the community-centered characteristic, defined in the context of the blog as the possibility to obtain comments from people inside and outside of the classroom. We wanted to evaluate to what extent writing on a blog could have an impact on self-concept, motivation, and the relationship to writing. The following specific objectives were pursued: 1. To measure affective variables of students (self-concept, motivation, and relationship to writing). 2. To document blog use, in particular the amount and type of writing and interactions from the community’s members. 3. To compare students’ affective variables in the course of blog use. We now present the framework for our study. Framework To conceptualize the affective dimension of writing in this study, which is part of the student- centered characteristic of a learning environment, we used three variables: self-concept, motivation, and relationship to writing. Self-concept refers to esteem that an individual has for himself (Ross, 1973; Thomas, 1980). To document motivation, we used Deci and Ryan’s (1985) theory of self-determination, which states that self-actualization is influenced by three fundamental needs: competency, social belonging, and autonomy. This model conceptualizes motivation as being part of a continuum made up of six stages: intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation by integrated regulation, extrinsic motivation by identified regulation, extrinsic motivation by introjected regulation, extrinsic motivation by external regulation, and amotivation (Vallerand, Fortier & Guay, 1997). The first type enumerated represents the highest level of motivation and the last is the weakest, or rather the total absence of motivation in an individual. Relationship to writing is a well-known concept in the francophone academic world and refers to the way an individual positions himself towards writing as a social object and how this person uses this skill in his or her personal, cultural, and professional life (Barré-De Miniac, 2000). More specifically, this relationship is composed of feelings, emotions, passion, values, social representation and concrete actions which all have an effect on writing (Chartrand & Prince, 2009). Elementary students’ affeCtive variables 3 CJLT/RCAT Vol.39(3) We analyzed blog posts’ written content from the perspective of Rosenblatt’s (1991) transactional model, which supposes that the reader adopts a utilitarian or esthetic stance when reading a text. Table 1 shows indicators of each of these positions. Table 1. Indicators for Each of the Stances in the Transactional Model (Rosenblatt, 1991) Utilitarian Stance Esthetic Stance • Accent on information and factual • Expression of emotion or sentiment descriptive content • Reactive words • Words have objective meaning • Recollection of attitudes, mental images, • Vocabulary is neutral sentiment through the text • Vocabulary connotes, suggests • Strength, intensity are felt through the words used Methods Context of the study We conducted our study in two elementary-school classrooms of

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